Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a pipe coupler, and more particularly, to soil pipe couplers.
Description of Related Art
Soil pipes couplers are configured to connect a first soil pipe to a second soil pipe or fitting. Ideally, a soil pipe coupler will not leak or deform unduly under operating pressures, resists angular deflections between the first and second soil pipes that are coupled, effectively prevents and/or resists deformation due to shearing forces from misalignment between the first and second soil pipes, is resistant to fire damage, resists forces that may cause the first or second pipe to dislodge from the soil pipe coupler due to internal operating pressures; has a long service life, is easily assembled and/or installed, maintains concentric alignment between the first and second soil pipe, and is cost effective and easily maintainable.
One commonly used soil pipe coupler comprises a sealing element that includes a reasonably soft elastomeric material having a Shore Hardness of approximately between 55 and 70. Installation of the sealing element includes stretching the sealing element over a first pipe and a second pipe to form a sealed coupling between the first and second pipes, but requires separate application of any overlying structures and clamps to secure the sealing element to the first and second pipes. As such, installation of such a soil pipe coupler is a time-consuming process.
A second soil pipe coupler, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,137, may provide relatively simpler installation as hose clamps can be installed concurrently with the clamping sleeve to a first and second pipe. However, since the soil pipe coupler disclosed therein consists solely of an elastomeric sleeve and hose clamps, the soil pipe coupler offers relatively little strength or resistance to fire. There remains a need in the art for a soil pipe coupler that offers a good balance of properties, such as many of those set forth above.